Distillery Loop is a rapid transit streetcar loop in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that lies at the south end of the Cherry Street branch – originally dubbed the Cherry Street streetcar line – that runs from a streetcar junction on King Street East south along Sumach and Cherry Streets. The loop opened in June 2016 and is some of the newer streetcar infrastructure in the city. The Cherry Street branch and Distillery Loop currently form the eastern segment and terminus of the 504A King streetcar route.
Distillery Loop
Distillery Loop is located south of Mill Street and north of the railway viaduct on the east side of Cherry Street. It lies across the street from Distillery Lane in the Distillery District. The loop runs counter-clockwise. With the junction at Sumach Street and King Street, the loop can turn streetcars coming from either direction along King Street. Decorative features at the loop include paving blocks, a small grove of young trees, and a small flower bed between the track and the street. At the railway viaduct on the southern side of the loop stands the Cherry Street Tower which the Toronto Terminals Railway uses to control the eastern approach to Union Station. The southbound approach to Distillery Loop has a wheel greaser that is automatically activated by GPS; however, the greaser only functions for the newer Flexity streetcars.
Cherry Street branch
Running on a separated right-of-way, the branch line is approximately long and has three stops, each with a platform. Both streetcar tracks run on the east side of the street, with a tree-lined median separating them from two automobile lanes, and bike lanes on either side of them. The entire width is, including sidewalks wide. The branch line was built by Waterfront Toronto, in cooperation with the Toronto Transit Commission, to serve the West Don Lands neighbourhood and the Distillery District. The new West Don Lands neighbourhood was expected to have 6,000 units once opened. The projected cost of the branch line was $90 million.
History
In 2007, the plan for the Cherry Street streetcar line was finalized. Construction started south of King Street in 2012. In April and May 2014, the TTC constructed the junction at the corner of King Street East and Sumach Street. Completion and opening of the branch were delayed until after the 2015 Pan American Games; the new streetcar right-of-way crossed the security zone of the competition's Athletes Village. On June 19, 2016, the Cherry Street streetcar line opened as part of the new 514 Cherry route, using Distillery Loop as the route's eastern terminal. On October 7, 2018, the 514 Cherry route was discontinued, and replaced by route 504A King running from Dundas West Station to Distillery Loop.
Track problems
A few problems were reported within several months of the line's opening. Traffic lights were poorly timed at the intersections of Cherry and Front Streets and Cherry Street and Eastern Avenue. Along Queens Quay, painted turn lane lines were not clear enough to discourage motorists from accidentally getting onto the streetcar right-of-way and then being trapped there. Because of complaints of squealing wheels at the corner of Sumach and King Streets, as well as at the Distillery Loop, streetcars were replaced by buses overnight along the Cherry Street line. Late night streetcar service was restored on July 15, 2017, as TTC riders found the transfer between the night bus and streetcar to be inconvenient. To address the reported problems, the TTC:
Added extra signage to discourage motorists from driving on the tracks.
Imposed a maximum speed of at Sumach and King.
Use only Flexity streetcars which have an on-board wheel lubrication system.
Enhanced the on-board wheel lubrication system for higher lubricant output.
In February 2020, city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam reported that residents near the Cherry Street branch continued to complain about noise and vibration from streetcars turning at the corner of King and Sumach Streets. There were also complaints of a rumbling noise as streetcars passed over the eastbound trailing-point switch at the intersection. In June 2020, the TTC had made several changes to address track noise, some of which could be applied to other locations on the streetcar system:
Retired all CLRVs, which were noisier than Flexity streetcars.
Installed a wheel lubricator at Distillery Loop.
Installed wheel-mounted vibration dampening rings on 10 Flexity streetcars to reduce side noise by 5–7 dBA.
Installed on-board wheel lubricators on half of the fleet with plans to add them to the remainder of the vehicles.
Adjusted curve geometry with plans for further refinement.
Ground the bottom of switch points to sit flush and reduce the slapping sound as wheels pass over them.
Tested a new design for flexible switch points with a trial installation at College Street and Lansdowne Avenue.
Future
As part of the framework for redevelopment of Toronto's Port Lands, the city is aiming to have 55 percent of all trips to the area be made by public transit. As part of this initiative, it was recommended that the streetcar service along Cherry Street be extended south from Distillery Loop to the Ship Channel in a dedicated right-of-way on the east side of the street in similar fashion to the former 514 service. This would make Cherry Street the primary north–south transit route within the western Port Lands and would include stops at a re-aligned Queens Quay and Commissioners Street.
